Career and technical education (CTE) is a term used to describe schools, institutions, and programs that specialize in the applied sciences, modern technologies, skilled trades, and career preparation. Also known as vocational education programs, students are offered opportunities to gain work experience and job-specific skills while also taking traditional academic courses. CTE is just one of many pathways to success, yet employers are still finding it difficult to identify qualified individuals to hire. Viridis Learning believes that stakeholders must be brought together to share data and automate recruitment of candidates each with verified (or verifiable) knowledge, skills, and ability. Thus, they seek new approaches and insights to better address the nation’s skills gap.

This is an Ideation Challenge with a guaranteed award for at least one submitted solution.

Postsecondary learning is increasingly acknowledged as essential for realizing the American dream as more and more opportunities are geared toward highly skilled workers. To close the national talent gap, Lumina Foundation is working towards an equitable, accessible, responsive, and accountable higher education system to increase the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees, certificates, and other credentials to 60 percent by 2025.

This Challenge requires organizations to submit a completed Application Form, outlining how their entity has a positive impact upon postsecondary attainment in the United States, or how they could transfer their current model to help reach Goal 2025. Entries will be narrowed down to three finalists, who will be invited to a live pitching event at the Inaugural LIFTed Convening from May 11-12, 2017 in Indianapolis, IN. Beyond the award, this prize competition offers an opportunity for visibility and networking with industry leaders.

This Challenge requires the submission of a completed Application Form.

In a recent monthly report, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tallied 5.4 million job openings as of August 2016. While an increase in job opportunities is good news for the unemployed, employers face continued difficulty identifying and hiring potential candidates with skills sufficient to fill these vacancies. The resulting skills gap represents a key challenge to a thriving American economy. Credly, Lumina Foundation, the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), and the American Council on Education (ACE) seek new approaches to utilize digital credentials to connect qualified individuals with available opportunities and bridge the skills gap.

This is an Ideation Challenge with a guaranteed award for at least one submitted solution.

In a world where postsecondary education is essential for being competitive in the job market, less than 40% of adults reach this level of attainment. The statistics are particularly troubling for first in family learners, under-resourced, and lower-income students, military veterans, and adult learners returning to college. For some, life simply gets in the way. For many, a small amount of money will keep students from achieving their dream of college completion. Can we bridge the gap for these individuals while giving universities a better understanding of the persistence probability of the students who are requesting supports? BridgeEdU believes that data-driven emergency financing is an important key and they seek a method to define a new metric to determine which students could benefit the most.

This is an Ideation Challenge with a guaranteed award for at least one submitted solution.

Health and education are essential for the economic development of society. In spite of differences created by geography or demographics, education is highly correlated with not only life span, but also economic growth. An educated worker is more productive and as a parent will make better choices and provide more opportunities for their children to succeed. Research in the developing world indicates that educational status (especially of the mother) is a predictor of health outcomes. Much more can be done, especially in context of the developing countries as every minute, many women and children are dying from preventable diseases and treatable conditions. Therefore, Ideagen seeks to empower women & girls through new approaches that increase access to quality education and / or promoting their good health and well being.

This is an Ideation Challenge with a guaranteed award for at least one submitted solution.

Community colleges, also known as junior colleges, are two-year schools that provide an affordable postsecondary education option for students from all walks of life. Although they offer a viable path to a four-year degree, the outcome for many community college students is uncertain. Only 39% of these students complete a certificate, associate’s degree, or bachelor’s degree within 6 years of enrollment. In order to improve this statistic, GlobalMindED seeks new approaches for increasing the mentoring and networking resources available to community college students before and after graduation.

This is an Ideation Challenge with a guaranteed award for at least one submitted solution.

As one of the leading higher education foundations in the United States, Lumina Foundation has a long history of investing in and supporting not-for-profits to improve postsecondary completion rates. In 2009 Lumina Foundation announced Goal 2025; the aim of increasing the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees, certificates and other credentials to 60 percent by 2025. To help achieve this lofty ambition and complement their current work, Lumina Foundation has launched Lumina Foundation's Social Innovation Prize for Postsecondary Learning to identify, recognize and showcase the best practices in social ventures working in, or closely aligned to, the higher education space.

This Challenge requires social ventures to submit a completed Application Form, outlining how their organization has a positive impact upon higher education in the United States, or how they could transfer their current practices to help reach Goal 2025. A preliminary judging panel will narrow entries down to a shortlist and Lumina will then invite three finalists to a live pitching event at the ASU GSV Summit from April 18-20, 2016 in San Diego, California. This includes a stipend for the finalists (covering the costs of travel, accommodation, and attendance at the event).

Beyond the award, Lumina Foundation's Social Innovation Prize for Postsecondary Learning offers an opportunity for visibility and networking with industry leaders. Lumina Foundation has built many successful and long-lasting partnerships with not-for-profits, and they envisage this Challenge as a potential first step in developing similar relationships with leading social ventures.

This Challenge requires only the submission of a completed Application Form.

Credentials are used by employers to determine whether a job seeker has the relevant skills and knowledge to contribute successfully within an organization. With the growth of online education courses and hands-on learning opportunities, it is possible to acquire certifications and other credentials outside of a credit-based degree program. It is important to be able to understand the values of these credentials and to compare them in relation to each other. UPCEA believes that it is time to develop a new system of alternative credentials, especially focusing on skills valued by employers, such as an individual’s ability to communicate effectively.

This is an Ideation Challenge with a guaranteed award for at least one submitted solution.

The demographics of people seeking higher education are evolving from the students who matriculate directly from high school. The emerging populations are returning adults, first generation to attend college and independent learners. Options for learning are also rapidly changing from traditional classrooms to include online courses and on-the-job credentialing. Camelback Ventures is committed to changing the face of entrepreneurship and creating social impact. We are seeking novel ideas, tools and models that reimagine postsecondary education for all students.

This is an Ideation Challenge with a guaranteed award for at least one submitted solution.

In the United States, the price of a postsecondary education continues to rise at a rate that outpaces inflation and affordability remains a significant barrier to enrollment in degree and certificate programs. Today’s students and families often are left on their own to navigate the multiple avenues to paying for postsecondary education. Lumina Foundation envisions a government-sponsored solution to simplify access to federal benefits and resources.

This is an Ideation Challenge with a guaranteed award for at least one submitted solution.